This invention relates to an oil discharge detecting device for a marine engine and more particularly to an improved system for insuring that an internal combustion engine is properly lubricated and providing a warning signal in the event of inadequate or improper operation of the lubricant pump.
It is well known that internal combustion engines require lubrication of their running components. With two cycle internal combustion engines, separate lubricating systems have been proposed which will supply lubricant to the engine rather than requiring mixing of the lubricant with the fuel consumed by the engine. These separate lubricating systems normally employ some form of lubricant reservoir, a pump and a delivery system for delivering lubricant from the reservoir to the engine for its lubrication. Although such systems provide good lubrication for the engine and avoid the necessity of having to mix fuel with lubricant, it is desirable to provide an arrangement to insure that this separate lubricating system does not malfunction. Devices have been proposed that will check and register the amount of lubricant in the lubricant storage tank and/or the proper mechanical functioning of the lubricant pump. However, in some instances it may be desirable to monitor the actual pump output so as to insure that the lubricant is being delivered to the engine in adequate amounts. Frequently a reciprocating type pump is operated that has a cyclically varying output. Conventional pressure sensing devices, therefore, are not adequate to sense the output of a pump in such an arrangement.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved oil discharge detection device for a marine engine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an oil discharge detecting device for a separate lubricating system for an engine embodying a cyclically varying pump that will not be sensitive to the cyclic variations in the pump.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved arrangement for detecting the output of a reciprocating or cyclically varying pump for an engine lubricating system.